Chinese AI champion iFlytek censors politically sensitive terms on its translation app

  • While the Android version of Shenzhen-listed iFlytek’s translation app was censored, the rival app from Baidu did not show similar restrictions

Chinese artificial intelligence company iFlytek is now removing politically sensitive words, phrases and names from its popular translation app, iFlyTranslate. Photo: Bloomberg

Voice-recognition technology provider iFlytek, one of China’s designated artificial intelligence (AI) champions, has censored politically sensitive terms from its popular translation app amid the government’s broader campaign to clean up online content.

The Android version of the company’s iFlyTranslate app has removed items such as “Tiananmen”, “independence” and the name of China’s President, “Xi Jinping”, from showing up as results in its system.

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